coates drive

Ahh, the 1970’s. So much was happening: the Vietnam war, Richard Nixon’s impeachment, the Arab oil embargo, Jimmy Carter. The Grateful Dead were arguably at the top of their game (Cornell ’77 anyone?). Loud clothing was all the rage.

I was oblivious to most of this at the time, except the loud clothing. Thanks to my parents, I totally rocked that.

Picture of me at the family home on Coates Drive in Seacliff, February 1974

You can’t actually see the home, as I’m standing in front of what amounts to a fenced-in patio at the “rear” of the property (the front was considered to be the bluff-side, with the “million dollar” Seacliff Beach and Monterey Bay view). The house was built by my grandfather between 1948 and 1951, as a kind of weekend project. I ended up living in it for many years – college years, and after – but we won’t be seeing too many photos of those times. 🙂

My brother, sister and I bought it from our family and held onto it for I think about 10 years or so, but eventually sold it back in 2008. Sigh. I still spend a lot of time in Seacliff, as today, we live only about a mile away as the crow flies. Some things change, some things don’t, but one thing is for sure: my kids are considerably better dressed than I was back in the day.